Extra-small
by Ayumu Foxtail-chan
Summary: When she came back, their ages the same, he began to think that maybe he did have a chance with her, after all. -RoWen one-shot!


**Hello there! I find RoWen to be incredibly cute, although I've never ever even thought about writing for them, so this is a first for me. Haha! Anyway, I hope you enjoy! :D**

* * *

_**Extra-small**_

Romeo Conbolt considered himself to be an adaptable person. He could change if he needed, moving like fire did and darting this way and that to ride the changes. Of course, that didn't mean he'd ever take changes easily. He could adapt to them, yes, if he needed, but if he didn't want to, he could bite right back and fight to the end trying to keep whatever change from happening.

One of those changes that he didn't like, one of those changes that he fought tooth and nail against, was the day when suddenly almost everyone in the guild disappeared. He'd been shocked to learn of the Tenrou gang's disappearance. He'd been shocked and absolutely frustrated. Everyone that he'd so looked up to, aside from his father, was now gone. Gone. Completely gone without even a single trace.

He fought against that change. He was right at Macao's side as the remaining Fairy Tail members searched endlessly for their lost friends. He was the one that stayed up late at night, looking at maps that he couldn't read, willing himself to somehow make sense of them. He was the one that kept the fire going in his own heart, that determination to never give up on finding them, even after everyone else at the guild had seemed to lose all hope.

He was adaptable, but some things he didn't want to have to adapt to. This was one of them. However, it seemed as much as he tried to fight against the challenge, fate, what had happened that day, nothing seemed to change.

Usually when he fought against something, he'd win. He had that unbearable gusto that Natsu, his hero, had had. He had that gusto to do whatever he thought was right, even if it sounded insurmountable, and somehow, he'd always get through it. No matter how high the mountain he had to climb, his inner fire kept him warm and he'd eventually surpass it.

This was not one of those mountains.

No matter how hard he worked, no progress was made. None at all. They were gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. Which made him rather bitter. Angry. He didn't like the thought that he couldn't overcome something.

And so he worked, in his own way. He still looked at those maps, he still busied himself searching for them, even if it seemed everyone else had completely given up. He wouldn't give up. Romeo Conbolt was adaptable, and he was a fighter. He wouldn't go down without a good long fight. He'd find them. He would.

He wasn't quite sure why he fought for so long and so hard. After four years passed everyone else had seemingly come to at least a little bit of terms with it. They were all sad now, tortured, absolutely depressed, but they'd come to terms with it. They knew this was how life was now, and they just needed to learn to cope with it. Romeo wasn't quite sure why he didn't act the same. Why he didn't bend and give up just like they had. It _did _seem rather hopeless.

Maybe it was Natsu, the man he looked up to even more than he did his own father at times. Maybe it was him, that salmon-haired fire-user that inspired him to do so much more than just cry and wait. He was what had inspired him to really pursue fire magic, after all. Maybe it was just all of them together; it was so quiet and boring without them. Maybe it was all of them, the boisterous Fairy Tail that he'd grown up with, the drinkers and the fighters that seemed like family. Maybe it was the master, another man he looked up to. Maybe it was Makarov and his undying will to always take care of his 'brats' no matter how stubborn they were being. Or maybe it was _her. _Maybe it was Wendy, that beautiful little girl that was not so little anymore.

She was older than him, but that didn't stop him from feeling those stupid little butterflies in his stomach; those butterflies he'd heard about so many times from so many different people.

They hadn't really spoken, ever, but he'd sure watched her. He'd sat on that stool next to his father at the bar and watched her come and go, job after job, making a name and place for herself at Fairy Tail. She was amazing. She was so much younger than all of the people she'd formed a team with and yet she held her own so easily. She was so strong, so unlike him. And he loved it.

He didn't want to admit that he couldn't stand the thought of never getting to watch her again. He didn't want to admit it, ever, at all, to anyone, even himself. But he did. He wanted her back so he could watch in awe even if she was so out of his league.

Maybe that's part of the reason he'd been working so hard since they disappeared, too. He'd been working just as hard on his own magic as he had been in finding them. He wasn't to her level yet, not even close, but he'd become a very adept mage over the years. He'd worked hard, day and night, losing sleep and gaining bruises as he fought against everything from fate to trees in his backyard. He was talented now, but she was still gone.

When that gloriously surprising day came that the island swallowed by the sea had been protected by Mavis herself, Romeo wasn't sure how to handle it.

He was excited, ecstatic, absolutely out of his mind with elation, but he was also a bit confused. He cheered with the rest of the guild, he cried with the rest of the guild, he laughed with the rest of the guild, and he watched as those people he considered family walked back into their now very small but very homey guild hall. He watched them look around, he watched their curious expressions, and once again, he watched _her. _

He was happy, yes, but something else in his chest seemed to tell him he had another sort of emotion. One he couldn't place. As the hours turned to days, and things seemed to die down at least a little at the guild, although nothing seemed to die down much at Fairy Tail, he began pondering the feeling more.

They hadn't changed a bit. Any of them. They looked the same, they acted the same, they had the exact same thoughts and memories, even seven years later. Natsu had recognized him, and it'd been one of the greatest moments of his life. His idol had recognized him and had actually smiled at his magic that he'd been working on so hard over those seven years. He was finally gaining recognition.

But what seemed to strike him the most was that _she _hadn't changed a bit. Even as he aged and grew and morphed and changed, she had stayed exactly the same, age and personality alike. He assumed that was what the feeling in his chest was: a different form of excitement.

She'd been so much older than him, so out of his league, and now, they were on seemingly equal ground. She hadn't aged while he'd done a lot of growing up. They were the same now. That seemingly insurmountable wall that was the years in between them was now no longer. That wall had come crashing down and in its place a long open field spread out before his eyes. She was on the other side of that field. All he had to do now was go to her.

It was that nervous excitement that made him stay up at night. That nervous excitement that he wasn't sure what to do with.

Even so, even if they were equal in age, he wasn't sure if they were equal in any other respect. She was still much stronger than he was, emotionally and possibly physically. Her magic was more developed, and she was still with those other members that he was definitely not on the same level with. Not only that but… he hadn't really spoken with her. When she'd left he'd been this little kid and for all he knew, she still saw him that way, which turned the nervous excitement in his belly into worry.

Romeo Conbolt was adaptable if he needed to be, well, maybe only if he wanted to be, but one thing he was not, was confident when it came to her. He was an absolute mess, if only on the inside. And so it nearly took all of the courage he had in his entire body to walk up to her one day, on the street when he saw her picking out fruit from a vendor, and to tell her to meet him at the guild later that night.

She'd looked surprised, stiffly nodding and giving him a sweet smile. And then he'd absolutely bolted. He ran like there was no tomorrow, for fear if he stayed too long she'd renege and say that no, she didn't want to meet him at the guild.

And there he sat, at one of the guild tables at nearly midnight, all of the lights in the guild off for the night and everyone else retired to bed, worrying his head off. He wasn't sure what he was even going to say to her. He figured that should've been step number one before he asked her to meet him. He should've at least figured out a general idea of what he was to say. But he had absolutely nothing.

He wanted to… talk with her… although he didn't know about exactly what. He wanted to convey some emotions to her, although he didn't know how. It was frustrating and confusing, and he didn't exactly like it.

She'd shown up exactly on time, hesitantly peeking into the guild and calling out his name. He nearly fell off his seat in surprise; he'd been in such deep thought that even the quiet sound of her voice scared him.

"Y-Yeah, over here," he called, waving a hand. She squinted into the darkness before spying him, smiling and sashaying in, the door closing quietly behind her. She looked around at the darkened hall, the only light provided by the moon and the stars as they shone through the windows.

She giggled when she reached him. "Are you not one for lights?" she asked, gently sitting across the table from him.

He let out an awkward laugh that was much louder than he'd meant it to be. "No, I just thought I'd save some electricity." He felt like slapping himself across the face. What kind of stupid answer was that?

An amused smile twitched at her mouth before she nodded, clasping her hands in her lap and leaning forward. She looked as if she was waiting for him to speak, which would probably make sense, he _had _been the one to invite her here, after all. But he still didn't have any idea as to how to start the conversation.

They sat in a very awkward silence for what seemed like forever to Romeo, although he was sure it was just a few minutes. He yelled at himself internally to buck up and say something, even if it wasn't important, just to get the ball rolling, but she was the one to break the silence in the end.

"You've grown up nicely, Romeo-kun," she smiled.

He coughed in surprise, his eyes going wide as he leaned a little farther toward her. "W-what?"

She watched him intently before shaking her head. "I just couldn't believe it was actually you when we came back. You look so different, but in a good way."

He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "U-um, thanks," he muttered. "You look… really nice, too."

She giggled again, what he swore was a blush sweeping across her face. "You're quite the gentleman too," she added before quickly shaking her head, apparently trying to rid it of some thoughts. "If I may ask, why did you want me to come here tonight?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right." He cleared his throat. He still wasn't quite sure what to say. In all reality, the very small exchange of words they'd just had was completely enough for him. She was the same, and it sounded like she didn't think of him as being any lower than she was. If anything… she sounded like she was pleasantly surprised they were so close in age. But maybe he was reading into things. "I guess I just kinda wanted to see you," he said slowly. "I mean, I know we never really talked much before you guys… disappeared… but I always thought you were pretty neat."

She giggled yet again. Why was she giggling so much? "I thought you were pretty neat too, Romeo-kun," she chuckled. "I always thought that you would be quite the charmer when you grew up, just like your father. Although, I guess I never thought I'd be sitting eye-to-eye with you as the same age when you _did _grow up," she said, shaking her head and looking slightly baffled. "I'm glad I am, though," she added quickly, looking down at her lap.

His jaw clenched. He once again reminded himself not to read too much into it. She could just be saying she was glad they were the same age simply because she had been curious about what he'd be like when he grew up. But man, it sure seemed like she was saying that because…

He shouldn't get his hopes up.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad too." There was another long and very awkward pause before he decided he should probably call it quits, just to save them both from the painfully uncomfortable atmosphere. "Well, sorry for having you come out here for such a… short and pointless conversation," he said with a sheepish grin.

She looked up to him quickly and shook her head. "No, don't apologize. It's really nice to talk again, Romeo." She gave him a sweet smile. "I know it was short but I really enjoyed it… and… I guess I would kinda like… to talk like this with you again." She looked to the side as if there was more she wanted to say, but she wasn't sure how to word it.

His heart fluttered. "Y-yeah!" he exclaimed, a grin breaking out across his face. "Yeah, I'd like to talk with you more, too! I'd like to learn all about 'cha, Wendy!" Oh goodness he'd probably gone too far. He sat back in his seat quickly, looking a tad ashamed. She'd probably be off-putted now and she would take back what she'd said about the conversation. It seemed like he barely knew her, had barely talked with her, and yet he was saying that he wanted learn all about her. Sounded a little creepy, at least to him. Just from all the time he'd spent watching her he felt like he knew her, but in all reality, they'd hardly ever spoken.

"I'd like to learn all about you, too, Romeo-kun," she said, her face shining bright with excitement.

He let out a sigh of relief and nodded, standing up from the bench of the guild table. She mirrored him and they stood, staring at the other. He wasn't sure what to do now. He felt like he should say or do something, but he didn't know what. Should he… shake her hand? Would that be appropriate? Or should he offer to walk her home? He didn't know what would be considered customary in this sort of situation. He wasn't sure if they were even friends, let alone how close she wanted to get.

Before he could overthink it too much she'd cleared her throat. "Well, I guess I'll be heading home," she said slowly. "This was really nice."

He nodded. "Y-yeah, it was, and I should be too."

There was another awkward pause and they both looked anywhere but at the other.

"Well then, um, good night Romeo-kun," Wendy said, leaning over the table and very awkwardly and lightly wrapping her arms around him, patting him on the back as if she didn't know what to do with her hands. She was so small and short she could barely reach him, and he was so dumbfounded he didn't even have the time to get his brain into gear and to hug her back before she'd ended the very, very small hug and pulled back.

She cleared her throat, her eyes wide with mortification before she sent him a small wave and promptly darted out of the guild. He stared stupidly after her as the door closed, his head clouded.

He wasn't quite sure what had just happened, nor did he exactly now how to process it, and the more he thought the more confused he became. And so, after a few moments of staring at that door and thinking about the girl that had just dashed through it, he gave up. It was too confusing and he just didn't know what to think of it. The extra-small hug _or_ the extra-small conversation.

Romeo Conbolt was adaptable if he wanted to be, but he'd push back against whatever kind of challenge that he didn't want to adapt to. Although, some challenges like a little blue-haired girl, were ones that he'd turn to water for, melding to whatever kind of glass she needed him to fit in.

* * *

_The Non-Flash Bingo - short - any anime/manga containing talking non-humans - 2,942 words_

**So there it was! I hope you liked it, very weird ending and all. Haha! I love Wendy to death and Romeo's shaping up to be a mini-Natsu so that makes me happy too.  
If you'd let me know what you think, I'd be a very happy little chittlin'. What do you think of RoWen? I know some people (including myself) ship her with Mest. *shrugs* I think they're both cute.  
**

**~Foxtail-chan**


End file.
